Thursday, December 3, 2009

Here’s looking at her, Kim Il Sung

Mick Hartley is a great resource for Thirld World stories. Some are extremely upsetting, such as the ones about women being stoned to death and, in general, most of the ones from the Middle East. Some are infuriating, like – well, most of the ones from the Middle East. And some are amusing, even the ones from the hell-hole that is North Korea.

Here he links to a story from Korean News Services (the two last words are deeply but unintentionally ironic), a website hosted in Japan. That’s understandable given North Korea’s relationship with the Internet, but weird given Korea’s relationship with Japan. However, the story is:

Deep Emotion of Girl Chairperson of Management Board

Pyongyang, November 30 (KCNA) -- President Kim Il Sung gave field guidance to the Samjigang Co-op Farm in Jaeryong County in mid June Juche 65 (1976).After asking the girl chairperson of the management board of the co-op farm when seeds were sown and what amount of humus soil was carpeted, the President let her elaborate her experience in properly nursing rice seedlings.After listening to her, the President praised her work, looking at her lovely [my italics]. And he instructed officials to let her participate in a Political Committee meeting. The officials were surprised by his words because it was beyond imagination for a young girl chairperson to take part in the Political Committee meeting.Her surprise was not inferior to that of the officials.

As Mick Hartley observes, a word or two is missing. “looking at her lovely… ” what? Seedlings, one supposes.